Genesis 24:2-3, Keep your man-parts out of harm’s way, part II of III

[Abraham] said to the chief servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh. I want you to swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites …”

//Now, I don’t know exactly where that hand “under the thigh” went, but this I do recognize from linguistics: The word testify, like testimony, is rooted in the word testicles … the source of human seed. God’s promise to Abraham was that his seed would be plentiful, and in ancient times, it was believed that the source of life existed entirely in the sperm; a woman’s role in reproduction was no more than to provide a house for the seed to grow.

Dating back to the time of Abraham, then, an oath is sworn “under the thigh,” where life resides.

Yesterday, I discussed the severity of the punishment for any woman who grabs a man’s testicles in a fight. Her hand was cut off. Perhaps we should not be surprised that laws such as this cropped up, protecting the life within another man.

There is, however, another way to look at this punishment of mutilation. We’ll wrap up this discussion tomorrow with an interesting twist.

Fantasy Football, Anyone?

Put on the whole uniform of the Team, that ye may be able to stand against the blitz of oncoming linebackers. Don the hip pads of truth, the shoulder pads of righteousness, the cleats of preparation. Don’t forget the facemask of faith and the helmet of salvation. Then clutch the pigskin with much Spirit, for that is what the Play Book of your Coach in Heaven demands.

The River of Life

Twice before Lee Harmon has written about Christian topics, once on the gospel of John and once on the book of Revelation. But the question people keep asking him is this: As a liberal Christian, why do you care so much about the Bible? Others wonder whether he is truly a Christian at all.

The Way It Happened

What really happened 2,000 years ago? How did a persecuted minority of end-time believers known as Christians, with their dreams of Armageddon and a conquering Messiah named Jesus, evolve into the largest religion in the world? Author Lee Harmon explores the period in which the New Testament was written in his books about John's Gospel and Revelation.

(Bloggers: you may be eligible for a free review copy! Just contact us.)

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Hello! I'm an author, historical Jesus scholar, book reviewer, and liberal Christian, which means I appreciate and attempt to exercise the humanitarian teachings of Jesus without getting hung up on any particular supernatural or religious beliefs.
The Bible is a magnificent book that has inspired and spiritually fed generations for thousands of years, and each new century seems to bring a deeper understanding of life’s purpose. This is true of not only Christianity; through the years, our age-old religions are slowly transforming from superstitious rituals into humanitarian philosophies. In short, we are growing up, and I am thrilled to be riding the wave.
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